Tombstone Tuesday: A Homemade Tombstone

A few weeks ago, I went with my parents down to Mount Tabor Cemetery in Ross County, Ohio. We hoped to find the grave of Dad’s uncle who died of influenza and pneumonia at age 2 in 1919. It is a very quiet cemetery, nestled in the hills southwest of Chillicothe. You have to look for it to even know it’s there.

There were some interesting tombstones, including this one made of poured concrete and inset with colored ceramic tiles. It appears that there was a place for a plaque (probably with the name and dates), but unfortunately it is gone. There is a GAR (Grand Army of the Republic) flag holder next to it, but it is unknown whether it belongs with this tombstone or was placed there erroneously.

Despite the three of us systematically searching the cemetery, we did not find little Tommy’s grave. We strongly suspect that his grave is unmarked, especially considering my great-grandparents’ economic condition at the time of his death.